Yes, there are other things on TV than just BBC Parliament
“Top Boy” and “Succession” and “The Capture” and “The Loudest Voice" OH MY
Hello,
Scotty here, back with a new Worth Watching newsletter. Hope you are doing well.
September always starts with a massive wave of CONTENT and this year is no different. What is fabulous is the sheer range of high quality shows out at the moment. We are literally spoilt for choice. Here are some that have stood out for me, but to be honest I haven’t seen everything else yet and I’m bound to have missed something.
Succession (episodes drop weekly on Sky Atlantic) - We are halfway through the second season of Succession, you know, the drama about the powerful rich family who are all awful to each other. I’m recommending it right now because season two has gone from being “really rather good” to "Fleabag Season Two Dinner Scene good.
Why would you watch a drama featuring not a single nice person? Because of the way it weaves in the current media landscape (text me when you get to the “food and weed were the only verticals driving revenue” scene). You also, weirdly enough, end up rooting for them being bad, just to see how far they will go, but only after you have worked out what their individual flaws are.
Oh and if you don’t get into it straightaway, don’t worry. I didn’t until six episodes in season one but, my god, I'm happy that I made that sacrifice for the payoff. I haven’t spoken to anyone who has regretted watching this in the long run.
Top Boy (Netflix) - This crime drama, following street gangs and drug dealing in East London and starring Ashley Walters and Kane Robinson, was cancelled on Channel 4 several years ago despite receiving much critical acclaim for its authenticity. It was even watched by Drake, who reached out to the creators to see about whether it could exist elsewhere. Fast-forward a bit, the third season is debuting on Netflix.
It doesn’t feel like a quick rehash. After the first episode tries to tie up a lot of loose strings from the climactic second season finale (stick with it), the show settles into new storylines that feel relevant to where we are now. If you have time, watch the first two series first (both are on Netflix already). If you don’t, you can get involved with the third and you’ll still get about 80% of what is going on.
State of the Union (BBC Two on Sundays at 10pm and iPlayer) - Rosamund Pike: tick. Chris O’Dowd: tick. Nick Hornby: tick. Episodes that are only ten minutes long: tick. Set at a pub directly before a marriage counselling session, this comedy perfectly taps into themes of how we all like to judge other people’s relationships instead of our own and how we all go to great lengths to avoid THE emotional elephant in the room.
You can watch the whole lot, but I reckon it is best to pace it and only watch a few at a time. BBC Two shows two at a time, which is the right fit.
Rise of the Nazis (BBC Two on Mondays and iPlayer) - There’s been a lot of media talk about one of the contributors to this documentary but that aside, this is a fascinating documentary on the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany and and how you cannot take democracy for granted, nor predict the future. It is also one of those that goes right into a piece of history that you likely didn't get taught at school because much of the curriculum focuses on what happened before and afterwards.
The Loudest Voice (Sky Atlantic / NOW TV - all episodes) - This is a seven part biographical drama on Roger Ailes, the CEO and Chairman of Fox News who was removed as its figurehead following allegations of sexual harassment in 2016.
Russell Crowe is magnificent as Ailes, and he portrays the nightmarish television producer built Fox News into the conservative giant it is today, from hiring shock jocks to making news as entertainment rather than, you know, news (key quote from the drama: “they don’t want to be informed, they want to feel informed.”)
The rest of it is not perfect. Set too far in the belly of the beast, it can be irritating how you are never shown much of the consequences of Ailes’ decisions and Fox News, generally, on US public discourse. With episodes focusing on a particular year in Ailes’ life, it can also feel as if it skips too much.
It is though extremely watchable though. I watched half of it in one sitting and all of the episodes are available to watch. It’s worth getting the book its based on too, written by Gabriel Sherman.
The Capture (BBC One at 9pm on Tuesdays / iPlayer) - This drama started at the precise moment last week when we *all* got distracted by the events on BBC Parliament. It is worth your time though, looking into whether we can trust what we see in a video or on CCTV when we don’t understand the context or can verify its source. Come for the “is he guilty or "is he not guilty” storyline, stay for the Bodyguard tension and rooms so seriously lit you wonder when exactly someone last popped out to the nearest Pret.
Supermarket Sweep (ITV2, 8pm Monday - Friday) - ITV has pulled an old television format out of the bin again to see whether it works in 2019. Is it good? Well, if anything it is a bit naff, and that’s the point. The original was a bit naff, hence why you watched it whilst you were lying horizontally on the sofa when on a sick day back in the 90s.
It doesn’t necessarily work being an hour long and you will end up not giving a shit about any of the ITV celebrities they bring out (I swear half of ITV is just ITV cameos of ITV stars from other ITV shows), but Rylan is genuinely a great host. He deserves all the TV jobs he’s getting currently. There is also no greater thrill than seeing a cameraman potentially wipe themselves out whilst running.
BAKE OFF CORRESPONDENT CORNER: I have started a Bake Off column for iNews, which will be out directly following each episode. The most recent column was about the feelings that arise when all of the bakers help each other in the tent: “Send me your dramas, your documentaries, your well-written, tender storylines and heartfelt, relatable characters, and I’ll send you back a long-winded anecdote about the time I cried when three people helped Candice on Bake Off 2016 because she couldn’t easily turn a brioche over.”
I will inevitably also give analysis on the Must Watch BBC 5 Live podcast. It continues even though there is a lot of Brexit nonsense. You can subscribe on BBC Sounds.
That’s it for this week. If there are any shows you can’t stop talking about, let me know by responding to this email and it might make a future newsletter.
Scotty x